A Meeting Planners Guide to Catered Events

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A Meeting Planners Guide to Catered Events

• Chapter Three
• Beverage Functions

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Beverage Functions

• These days it is very unusual for a beverage
  function to offer only alcohol.
• Most liquor laws will not allow alcohol to be
  served unless food is available to slow
  intoxication.
• There will typically be at least a few hors
  doeuvres and dry snacks.

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Purpose of the beverage function

• A way for attendees to socialize and network.
• Provides a relaxed, leisurely setting.
• A transition period from a long workday to an
  enjoyable meal function.

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Types of beverage functions

• Cocktail Reception
• Hospitality Suite
• Poured Wine Service

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Cocktail Reception

• One of the most common types of beverage
  functions.
• During week days it is usually scheduled during
  the early evening hours, just after the end of
  the normal business day.
• On weekends there is more flexibility, but as a
  general rule, a cocktail reception is scheduled
  after 500 PM.

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Cocktail Reception

• A cocktail reception often precedes a dinner
  function, in which case it will usually be
  scheduled for about 45 minutes to an hour.
• At least a few foods should be served.

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Hospitality Suite

• Normally opens after 1000 in the evening.
• Some suites offer a full bar, some beer and wine
  only.
• Some have lots of food, some have only dry
  snacks.
• Some offer only desserts and specialty coffees.

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Hospitality Suite

• Consider ordering more food, and different types
  of foods, if the attendees have had an open
  evening.
• Some may have skipped going to dinner and may be
  quite hungry.

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Hospitality Suite

• Hospitality suites are usually held in a suite on
  a sleeping room floor, and are usually serviced
  by the propertys room service department.
• They may be sold by catering, but sometimes you
  may deal directly with the room service manager.
• If they are held in a public function room, or
  held in another public area (such as a hotels
  front lobby area), they would be sold and
  serviced by the catering department.

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Hospitality Suite

• Regardless of the location, do not allow people
  to self-serve alcohol.
• Do not leave your function unattended by a
  staffer.
• You run the risk of enormous cost overrun.
• Unsupervised people may display unheard of
  behavior.
• People who dont even belong to your group may
  drop by.

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Poured Wine Service

• Poured wine beverage service is typically part of
  a meal function.
• Wines may be opened and preset on the tables.
• At elaborate meals, cocktail servers, or the food
  servers, supervised by a sommelier, may be in
  charge of the wine service.
• This is more common when the meal includes a rare
  and/or expensive wine served with each course.

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Poured Wine Service

• Experience has taught us that for meals with
  wine, you will need to have about 3 whites to
  every red.
• For dinners, you can expect each attendee to
  consume about 2 ½ glasses.
• For lunch the average consumption will be about 1
  glass per person.

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Menu Planning

• It is relatively easy to develop a drink menu.
• If a meeting planner wants a particular type of
  drink, the caterer can usually provide it.
• The equipment needed to handle normal beverage
  service is sufficient to produce almost any type
  of finished beverage.
• If any unique brands or products are needed, you
  must give the caterer sufficient time to procure
  them.

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Types of Beverages

• Wine
• Imported
• Domestic
• Varietals
• Spirits
• Imported
• Domestic
• Distilled
• Blends

• Neutral Beverages
• Non-alcoholic
• Water, soda, juice, soda, coffee, etc.
• Beer
• Imported
• Domestic
• Bottles/Cans
• Kegs/Pony Kegs

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Spirits

• Well Brands
• Premium Well Brands
• Call Brands
• Premium Brands

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Basic Drink Menu

• Red Wine
• White Wine
• Domestic Light Beer
• Domestic Regular Beer
• Soft Drinks
• Drink Mixers

• Scotch
• Gin
• Vodka
• Bourbon
• Rum
• Tequila
• Canadian Whiskey